


A Matter of Perspective

by inukagome15



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Tony Stark, Implied Steve Rogers/Tony Stark - Freeform, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-05-03 18:46:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14575287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inukagome15/pseuds/inukagome15
Summary: The shield rises, and all Tony can think is that Steve is going to kill him.





	A Matter of Perspective

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't anything new, just something I was reminded I have on my tumblr and I thought I'd post it here so more people can find it.
> 
> I was apparently inspired by a post I saw? Anyway, unlike my usual fics, this is nothing but angst and doesn't have a resolution because it's more like a more in-depth scene from a certain character's POV. Entirely canon-compliant for what we see in the movie.
> 
> Can be read as implied Steve/Tony if you want. I'm a shipper, after all.
> 
> [Reblog here](http://inukagome15.tumblr.com/post/144180046721/i-saw-a-post-and-then-i-was-thinking-about-tonys) if you want.

He’s not actually thinking. Tony’s aware of that, in some kind of arbitrary out-of-body experience. He’s had them before, but this one is…

The point is, he’s not thinking. It’s a haze of pain and grief and  _he knew that road_. He knew the road because he walked it. He knew the road because he’d seen it while (not) grieving. He knew that damn car, and he knew their voices.

It hadn’t been an accident. Howard hadn’t crashed the car because of a careless mistake. They were murdered.

They were murdered and the man responsible was standing right here. It’s completely possible for Tony to do it ( _kill him like he’d killed his mother_ ) and make the man responsible  _pay_  (who else was he going to blame?). So he’s doing it.

But he’s aware he’s not really  _thinking_  per se. There’s something about having come here as a  _friend_  (“Easy,” he says.) but what use is friendship if it’s so incredibly one-sided?

“He’s my friend.”

“So was I.”

Because he thought he was a friend ( _Steve’s friend_ ), thought they were  _all_  friends, but he’s so wrong, isn’t he? What they had is torn apart and he doesn’t think he can put it back together again (“Futurist” and the word is sneered like the insult it isn’t  _supposed_  to be).

His systems are slowly going offline and malfunctioning, the suit unable to cope with the stress of going up against two enhanced soldiers. But FRIDAY’s still functioning ( _he’s_  still functioning) so he can still go after Barnes. He isn’t getting away this time. It doesn’t matter what Steve’s trying (garroting him with a string, dismantling his flight systems, throwing his shield) because Tony’s on a mission.

He can’t trust Steve anymore (hypocrite,  _hypocrite_ ), but that doesn’t mean he wants to fight him. He wants Barnes (but does he really want to  _kill_  him?) and he’s going to get to him.

And he does. But Steve’s there, too, and why doesn’t he  _understand_? Why doesn’t he ever understand?

He gets Barnes’s arm off, but Steve’s there before he can do anything. And it’s the worst idea – fighting Captain America in close combat – but he’s not thinking. He really isn’t thinking, just  _doing_.

And it works. It works up until Steve turns it back around on him and suddenly he’s on the floor, unable to get away.

His mask’s torn off, Steve has the shield in his hands, he’s lifting it up and is about to smash it directly into Tony’s face.

With a shock of clarity that comes from seeing death in the eye (too many times), Tony realizes that Steve’s going to ram the shield into his unprotected face. He’s…actually going to kill him?

Tony brings his arms up defensively, expecting that shield to be slamming down any second. This position isn’t exactly defensible but he can  _try_ —

The shield’s brought down into the reactor, the sharp edge digging further into the damage Barnes wrought. It’s been years, but there’s still a faint flare of panic at the damage (because imminent cardiac arrest and shrapnel in his heart are not ways he wants to go).

Steve’s digging,  _digging_ , the shield fracturing through the protective cover of the reactor. The suit’s stuttering slightly, going offline even as Tony’s struggling to move it.

And Steve…stops. Pulls the shield out and moves off Tony. It’s only a split-second, but for a moment he’s in the same position as  _before_  (shield raised to bring down into Tony’s face,  _finishing it for good_ ), and then he’s entirely off, staggering towards Barnes.

He’s taking the shield, too, that shield that Howard made for him and that Tony’s always admired (and hated) as a symbol of freedom and justice and  _goodness_  (a paragon he can’t live up to no matter how much he  _tries_ ).

Tony’s barely aware of what he’s saying, trying to catch his breath and somehow maneuver the heavy suit to a more comfortable position. The reactor’s sparking and sputtering in his chest, on its last legs ( _no longer in his chest, thank God_ ), and his entire body  _hurts_  (physically, mentally, emotionally).

What does happen is this: Steve drops the shield as he walks off with Barnes, T’Challa’s scratches marking the once pristine surface.

And Tony’s alone, trying to sit up and failing (and  _hurting_ ), falling back against the wall. He’s alone as Steve walks off with Barnes, leaving behind everything they’ve worked for in the past few years. He’s alone as he realizes that he’s effectively lost the one thing he was trying desperately to pull together.

There’s nothing to pull together anymore.

And that…

_“ **Did you know**?!”_

_“…Yes.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Can you tell I was bitter and heartbroken when I wrote this? I haven't seen this movie again since, and I'm not sure if I will.
> 
> Anyway, I was thinking that we - as the audience - know that Steve's not going to bring that shield down into Tony's face. But did _Tony_ know when he was staring up at him? That's where this came from.
> 
> Personally, I'm of the mind that Tony had an incredibly valid point when it came to oversight and accountability being needed. Whether the Accords were the right answer is another thing, but either way Tony had a point and it needed to be made. I'm not on Steve's side in this movie.  
> But that's not really what this is about.
> 
> [Reblog here](http://inukagome15.tumblr.com/post/144180046721/i-saw-a-post-and-then-i-was-thinking-about-tonys) if you want.


End file.
